Transport carrier conveyor

ABSTRACT

An endless conveyor for moving material from a first position to a second position comprises a guide which includes a first and second track spaced apart a predetermined distance for defining a path of travel. A plurality of transport carriers are positioned in a side-by-side relationship. Each transport carrier includes a first end disposed within a first track and a second end disposed within a seocnd track. A drive member engages each individual transport carrier and imparts movement thereof along the path of travel defined by the guide.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a transport carrier conveyorconstructed of a plurality of transport carriers which are independentlymounted relative to each other for conveying articles either along anupwardly inclined path or a substantially horizontal path.

2. Description of Background Art

Hithertofore, a number of conveyors for transporting material have beenavailable. Belt conveyors require pulleys which must be preciselyaligned in order to avoid belt run-out. In addition, belts running at alow speed track very badly. Further, belts running at a high speedrequire crowned pulleys to perform satisfactorily.

Chain conveyors require sprockets for driving the chains. In addition,sprockets are required for changing directions with respect to ahorizontal or inclined disposition of the chains.

Roller conveyors are usually constructed with the rollers mounted in astationary manner on a frame. The rollers are driven individually or bymeans of a belt. Drive shafts or gear systems are also utilized toimpart movement to the rollers. Roller conveyors are also constructedwith idler rollers which are fixed in a predetermined disposition. Someroller conveyors do impart movement to a plurality of rollers to rotatewhile being held in a fixed position along a predetermined path.

With respect to conventional conveyors, often a drive mechanism isrequired to be disposed adjacent to an elevated pulley. This is requiredin view of the fact that the conveyor belt must be pulled along itsdirection of travel. The positioning of a drive motor adjacent to anelevated section of the conveyor presents a number of disadvantages withrespect to the mounting of the drive mechanism and the necessary supportstructure for affixing the drive mechanism to the conveyor housing.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a transport carrierconveyor which is guided along a predetermined path of travel forconveying material from a first position to a second position.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a transportcarrier conveyor wherein a drive means periodically engages eachindividual transport carrier and imparts movement thereto along the pathof travel defined by a guide. The drive means may be disposed adjacentto the lower portion of the conveyor and provides a pushing force to thetransport carriers.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a transportcarrier conveyor which is designed for moving material from a firstelevation to a second elevation displaced relative to the firstelevation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide cleats which areaffixed to or movably mounted relative to selective transport carriersand spaced at any distance along the path of travel for assisting in themovement of material along the endless conveyor.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide spacersdisposed at each end of the transport carriers and track rollersdisposed at each end of the transport carriers to enable the transportcarriers to be moved along the path of travel without engaging adjacenttransport carriers.

Another object of the present invention is to provide transport carrierswith a flat top surface for conveying predetermined objects.

Another object of the present invention is to provide hollow transportcarriers with an open top for conveying material.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a force tothe transport carriers to cause the transport carriers either to rotatein a reverse direction or in a forward direction to manipulate thearticles being conveyed.

These and other objects of the present invention are achieved byproviding an endless conveyor for moving material from a first positionto a second position. A guide includes a first and a second track spacedapart a predetermined distance for defining a path of travel. Aplurality of transport carriers, each transport carrier including afirst end disposed within the first track and a second end disposedwithin the second track. The transport carriers are positioned in aside-by-side relationship. A first spacer is mounted on the first endand a second spacer is mounted on the second end. The first and secondspacers space the transport carriers relative to each other so as toprevent rotation. A drive member is provided for engaging the transportcarriers and imparting movement thereto along the path of travel definedby the guide.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, itshould be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawingswhich are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitativeof the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the endless conveyor accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the endless conveyor illustrated inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the positioning ofa transport carrier relative to the first and second tracks;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the positioning ofa cleat relative to two adjacent transport carriers;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the positioning of thespacer roller relative to a transport carrier;

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating one embodiment ofthe present invention wherein track rollers are disposed within thefirst and second tracks;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view with the track section shown in partial crosssection;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating a number of sections of anendless conveyor;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating a number of sections of anendless conveyor;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view illustrating another embodiment ofthe present invention wherein the transport carriers include a flat topportion;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another embodiment of thepresent invention wherein the transport carriers are hollow and includean open top;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating another embodiment of atransport carrier having a pitch spacer disposed on each end of thetransport carrier adjacent to the track roller;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating another embodiment of atransport carrier having two shafts each having a track roller mountedthereon;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating an endless conveyor accordingto the present invention and further including an assist conveyormounted within the supply hopper to assist with the delivery of objectsor material to the endless conveyor;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view illustrating a number of sections of anendless conveyor with a variety of different transport carriers;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a transportcarrier having a screw discharge configuration on the outer surfacethereof; and

FIG. 17 is side elevational view of the transport carrier as illustratedin FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a transport carrier illustrating thedisposition of the pitch spacers relative to each other;

FIG. 19 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the positioningof the braking spring mounted within the pitch spacer;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a transport carrier including movablecleats; and

FIG. 21 is a side view of the transport carrier as illustrated in FIG.20.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, an endless conveyor 10 is provided witha plurality of transport carriers 22 disposed adjacent to each other ina side-by-side relationship. A guide is provided including a first guidewall 14 having a first track 15 defined by a portion of the guide 14.

Similarly, the guide wall 16 includes a second track 17 disposed withina portion of the guide wall 16. The plurality of transport carriers 22are mounted between the guide walls 14, 16 and are confined to travelalong a predetermined path.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plurality of transport carriers 22are disposed beneath the area adjacent to a hopper 12. Thereafter, thepath of travel of the transport carriers 22 is disposed upwardly towardsa discharge area 27. Cleats 24 may be positioned at any desired distanceadjacent the transport carriers to assist in the conveyance of materialor articles upwardly along the inclined section 28 of the endlessconveyor 10.

A drive means 20 is disposed to engage a sprocket 21. The sprocket 21actually pushes the transport carriers 22 upwardly and along the path oftravel. This arrangement is distinct from conventional belt conveyorswhich require the motor to be positioned at the elevated section of theconveyor. The positioning of a motor at the elevated section of theconveyor is necessary with a conventional belt conveyor due to the factthat a conventional belt conveyor requires the motor to pull theconveying belt.

FIGS. 3, 5 and 7 illustrate an arrangement of the transport carrier 22relative to the guide walls 14, 16. More specifically, spacers 25 aredisposed at a first end and a second end of the transport carrier 22. Inaddition, a track roller 26 is disposed at a first end and a second endof the transport carrier 22. The track rollers may be mounted on an axle26x for facilitating rotation of the track roller. The guide walls 14,16 include a removable section 14a, 16a, respectively, in order toenable selected transport carriers 22 to be removed from the path oftravel for maintenance or replacement.

The spacer rollers 25 are designed to have an enlarged diameter relativeto the diameter of the transport carriers 22. In this manner, the spacerrollers 25 maintain the transport carriers 22 in a spaced apartrelationship. Thus, the transport carriers 22 can be moved along thepath of travel without engagement. The transport carriers 22 will notrotate relative to each other due to the positioning of the spacerrollers 25 at each end of the transport carriers 22.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the positioning ofa cleat 24 relative to two adjacent transport carriers 22. A pin 24a isutilized to affix the cleat 24 in a predetermined position relative tothe two transport carriers 22.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention wherein atransport carrier 22' is disposed between guide walls 14', 16'. Trackrollers 26' are disposed at a first end and a second end of thetransport carriers 22'. The track rollers 26' are designed to roll alongthe first and second tracks disposed within the guide walls 14', 16'.

FIG. 8 illustrates a section of an endless conveyor according to thepresent invention. The transport carriers 22 are confined to travelalong a predetermined path. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the path is asubstantially horizontal path.

A rod 30 may be utilized to engage a portion of the transport carriers22 at one end thereof. A force F1 is applied to the rod 30 to hold therod 30 relative to the upper surface of the transport carriers 22. Inthis way, if the rod 30 engages an upper surface of the transportcarriers 22, the top surface of the transport carriers 22 will rotate ina direction opposite to the path of travel. In this way, objects can beretained in a fixed location on a section a of the endless conveyor forspacing the articles relative to each other. For a horizontal conveyor,such a rod, or belt 40 as illustrated in FIG. 9, can avoid parts orarticles from pressing against each other. Parts which are pressedtogether could result in part damage or "shingling" which are bothundesirable. The section b of the conveyor illustrated in FIG. 8represents the normal operation of the endless conveyor. Objects 31, 32are positioned on the transport carriers 22 and are moved along the pathof travel.

Section c of the endless conveyor illustrated in FIG. 8 represents asection wherein a rod 33 engages a portion of the lower surface of thetransport carriers 22. In this manner, as a force F2 is applied to alower surface to the transport carrier 22, the transport carrier rotatein the same direction as the path of travel. Thus, an object 34 disposedin section c of the endless conveyor will be accelerated at twice thespeed of the transport carriers 22 due to the fact that the transportcarriers 22 in this particular section c rotate at twice the speed ofthe endless conveyor. This procedure, as well as the result achieved bybelt 41 as illustrated in FIG. 9, will result in the spacing of parts orarticles. For packing procedures, such spacing is very desirable sinceit permits definite handling of each individual part or article.

FIG. 9 is another embodiment of the present invention illustrating aplurality of sections of a conveyor system. A belt 40 is disposedadjacent to an upper surface of the transport carriers 22 along asection a. The belt 40 rotates in a direction opposite to the path ofthe travel of the transport carriers 22. In this manner, as the belt 40rotates, the top surface of the transport carriers 22 will rotate in anopposite direction relative to the path of travel.

Section b illustrates a normal path of travel of the transport carriers22. This path of travel is similar to section b as illustrated in FIG.8.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, section c includes a belt 41 disposed adjacentto a lower surface of the transport carriers 22. The belt 41 rotates inthe opposite direction as the path of travel. Thus, the top surface ofthe transport carriers 22 rotate in the same direction of the path oftravel for accelerating articles disposed within the section c of theendless conveyor.

FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention whereinthe transport carriers 22a include a flat top 22aa. In this way, thetransport carriers 22a may be used to transport predetermined objects ormaterial having a certain characteristic requiring a flat surface.

FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention whereinthe transport carriers 22" include a hollow interior portion 22b. Inaddition, an open top 22c provides access for material to be disposedwithin the hollow portion 22b.

FIGS. 12, 18 and 19 illustrate another embodiment of a transport carrieraccording to the present invention. The transport carrier 222 includes asubstantially cylindrical central portion 222a which is similar to thetransport carrier 22 of the other embodiments of the present invention.An axle 226x is provided which extends through the cylindrical sectionof the transport carrier 222. A pitch spacer 225 is mounted on the axle226x. A spacing washer is disposed between the cylindrical section 222aof the transport carrier 222 and the pitch spacer 225.

Each pitch spacer 225 includes a grooved centrally disposed recess 225afor receiving a braking spring 225b, a thrust washer 225c and a retainer225d mounted on the axle 226x for retaining the pitch spacer 225 on theaxle 226x adjacent to the cylindrical section 222a. A pitch spacer 225is mounted on each end of the cylindrical portion 222a. In addition, atrack roller 226 is mounted on the axle 226x adjacent to the pitchspacer 225.

The braking spring 225b serves to control the spinning of thecylindrical section 222a of the transport carrier 222. The pitch spacer225 is non-rotatable and includes the recess 225a in which the brakingmembers are positioned. The braking spring 225b applies a force to thenon-rotating pitch spacer 225 which is transmitted to the transportcarrier bearing surface 222b. Tension is determined by the positionmaintained by the thrust washer 225c and the retainer 225d. In apreferred embodiment of the present invention, the thrust washer 225cand the retainer 225d may be constructed as an integral unit. Brakingfriction is controlled by the retainer setting. The entire arrangementmay be encapsulated within the pitch spacer 225 and not visible from theouter surface of the pitch spacer 225 once assembled. In addition, theentire arrangement may be encapsulated within the transport carrier 222and not visible from the outer surface of the transport carrier 222 onceassembled.

The embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in FIGS. 12, 18and 19 provides a positive spacing arrangement between adjacenttransport carriers 222. More specifically, the pitch spacers 225 includea concave portion 225e. The concave portion 225e will mate with arounded portion 225b of an adjacent pitch spacer 225. In this way, apositive spacing of the transport carriers 222 is achieved. Thecylindrical central portion 222a of the transport carriers 222 will nottouch each other, and therefore, will not rotate as they are conveyedalong the guide tracks.

The transport carriers 225 are driven forward in a controlled manner bymeans of the mating non-rotatable pitch spacers 225. The pitch spacers225 possess a geometry which allows them to drive the transport carriers222 through turns or straight sections of track while maintaining theproper centerline and pitch of the transport carrier 222. The transportcarriers 222 are independent of one another and forward movement iscreated by each transport carrier 222 pushing on an adjacent transportcarrier 222 positioned in the forward direction.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the presentinvention. A transport carrier 322 is provided with a centralcylindrical portion 322a. Axles 326x and 326y are provided which extendthrough the cylindrical portion 322a. A track roller 326 is mounted oneach end of the axles 326x and 326y. The arrangement of the rollers 326,as illustrated in FIG. 13, will permit the transport carrier 322 totraverse along the guide track. However, due to the fact that two axles326x and 326y are provided, the central cylindrical section 322a willnot rotate. Rotation of the central cylindrical section is prevented dueto the fact that the two axles 326x and 326y prevent the centralcylindrical section 322a from rotating.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the presentinvention. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment as illustratedin FIG. 1. However, an additional transport carrier conveyor 410 isprovided within the hopper 412. The additional transport carrierconveyor 410 includes a plurality of transport carriers 422 which aredesigned to traverse a predetermined path within the lower portion ofthe hopper 412. In this manner, objects disposed within the hopper 412can be advanced towards the transport carrier conveyor 310 whenadditional material or objects are desired. The transport carrierconveyor 310 includes sidewalls 314, 316, mounted a predetermineddistance apart. Cleats 324 are spaced at any desired distance along theconveyor path between adjacent transport carriers 322. In this way,objects disposed within the hopper 412 which are advanced by means ofthe transport carrier 410 can easily be elevated to a discharge area.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view illustrating that a number of differenttransport carriers may be disposed along a transport carrier conveyor.More specifically, a circular transport carrier 522 may be disposedadjacent to a transport carrier 622 having a substantially flat topportion. In this matter, a desired area having a flat surface to retaina specific object having a certain size is provided. 0f course, thenumber of transport carriers 622 having a substantially flat top portionmay be varied depending on the particular application. The arrangementof a substantially cylindrical transport carrier 522 adjacent to atransport carrier 622 having a flat top portion permits spacing andrespacing of objects. A stationary belt 541 will enable the cylindricaltransport carriers 522 to rotate in a direction opposite to thedirection of movement of the transport carrier conveyor. Thus, objectswhich engage the cylindrical transport carriers 522 will be reduced inspeed to thereby permit pacing and respacing of the objects.

FIGS. 16 and 17 illustrated another embodiment of the present inventionwherein the transport carrier 722 includes a screw top portion 725. Anaxle 726x projects through the transport carrier 722. In this manner,the transport carrier 722 is permitted to rotate on the axle 726x. Dueto the screw top 725, articles which engage the transport carriers 722are discharged in the direction of the screw conveyor. Thus, objectsarriving to a predetermined section of a transport carrier conveyor canbe discharged laterally off of the transport carrier conveyor to anotherwork station or discharge area.

The present invention provides a number of improvements overconventional belt conveyors. More specifically, the cleats 24 may bemounted at any distance relative to each other. Thus, cleats 24 may beeasily affixed between two adjacent transport carriers 22 or may beremoved therefrom. The positioning of the cleats 24 is relative simpleand may be changed at any time. This feature of the present inventionpermits the transport car carrier conveyor to be easily changed toaccommodate various sizes of objects or different material be conveyed.

In addition, as illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21, a transport carrier 822may include an aperture 822a through which a movable cleat 824 ispositioned. As illustrated in the previous embodiments of the presentinvention, a pitch spacer 825 is mounted on an axle 826x extending fromthe cylindrical cent portion 822b of the transport carrier 822. A trackroller 826 is mounted on the axle 826x.

As illustrated in FIG. 21, the movable cleats 824 may be raised orlowered by means an elevating cam 900. During a predetermined portion ofthe travel of the transport carriers 822, the movable cleat may be at aposition which is below an upper surface of the transport carrier 822.Thereafter, the cleats 824 may be gradually elevated to a raisedposition wherein the movable cleat 824 extends above an upper surface ofthe transport carrier 822. The motion of the movable cleats 824 to anelevated position or a lowered position is accomplished during movementof the transport carriers 822 along the path of travel. The movablecleats 824 are maintained in a vertical orientation in relationship tothe conveyor track by means of non-rotating pitch spacers 825 which arean integral part of the cylindrical section 822b of the transportcarrier 822. Although the transport carriers 822 are maintained in afixed orientation, conveying is accomplished by movement of the trackrollers 826 along a grooved track. The track rollers 826 turn freely asthey move along the grooved track.

The elevating cam 900 illustrated in FIG. 21, may be a fixed cam surfacewhich is disposed at a predetermined position along the path of travel.In addition, the elevating cam 900 may be a movable cam actuated at apredetermined time to elevate the movable cleats 824 to be disposedabove an upper surface of the transport carriers 822.

In addition, the transport carriers can be easily changed. Roundtransport carriers 22 or transport carriers having a flat top 22a may beinterchanged at any time. Any shape of transport carrier may be usedtogether with the present invention.

The transport carrier illustrated in FIG. 13 is particularly useful withrespect to the positioning of a cleat along the conveyor path. Due tothe fact that the transport carrier 322 does not rotate, a cleatpositioned on the transport carrier 322 would be held in a fixedvertical position. The cleat would not move as it is conveyed along thetransport carrier conveyor.

The versatility of the conveyor structure according to the presentinvention is obvious if the various functions are considered which canbe performed with the simple construction of the transport carrierconveyor. There is also a considerable economy in construction and inmaintenance of such conveyors. Single transport carrier or transportcarrier parts can be replaced without special tools or special skills.Cleaning of the conveyor can be facilitated by simply removing alltransport carriers from the track plates. Various materials can be usedfor the transport carriers for acquiring most desirable results. Aconveyor can also be easily changed in length by simply adding orsubtracting track plates and the equivalent amount of transportcarriers. Transport carriers of special shape can also be installed andeasily changed with more conventional ones at moment's notice. Forexample, while the majority of applications may favor round transportcarriers, it is also conceivable to use transport carriers with flattops or hollow transport carriers with open tops for certainapplications.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same maybe varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intendedto be included within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An endless conveyor for moving material from afirst position to a second position comprising:a guide including a firstand second track spaced apart a predetermined distance for defining apath of travel; a plurality of transport carriers, each transportcarrier including a first end disposed within said first track and asecond end disposed within said second track, said transport carriersbeing positioned in a side-by-side relationship; a first spacer mountedon said first end of said transport carrier and a second spacer mountedon said second end of said transport carrier, said first and secondspacers prevent contact of said transport carriers disposed adjacent toeach other for preventing rotation of said transport carriers; and drivemeans for engaging and pushing said transport carriers and impartingmovement thereto along said path of travel defined by said guide; saidfirst and second spacers being pitch spacers having a concave surfaceand a convex surface, said convex surface of one transport carrier beingreceived within the concave surface of an adjacent transport carrier forspacing adjacent transport carriers relative to each other to preventrotation of the transport carrier.
 2. The endless conveyor according toclaim 1, and further including a braking spring operatively mountedrelative to each said transport carrier for retarding rotation of saidtransport carriers.
 3. The endless conveyor according to claim 2, andfurther including a recess disposed within each of said pitch spacersfor accommodating said braking spring, a thrust washer and a retainer.